KUALA LUMPUR — Some 1,000 Myanmar refugees have already been identified for repatriation, but Malaysia will prioritise their safety and welfare before any return process takes place, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
He said cooperation between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Home Ministry (KDN) was crucial in verifying the refugees’ status and assessing the security conditions they would face upon returning to Myanmar.
“I have asked the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to liaise with the Myanmar government through its embassy so that they can be brought back gradually,” he told reporters after attending a Ziarah Kasih programme at Taman Pinggiran Senawang today.
Mohamad was responding to reports that the Myanmar government was prepared to repatriate 5,000 of its citizens currently in Malaysia by ship. He said Malaysia was prepared to facilitate the process in phases, beginning with those whose status had already been confirmed.
“There is no need to wait until there are 5,000 people. The 1,000 already identified for repatriation can be sent back,” he said.
He stressed that the process must be carried out carefully to protect the refugees’ lives and ensure their return would not put them at risk.
Mohamad added that ASEAN continued to regard the Myanmar refugee crisis as a serious matter that required a collective response from member states.
He said the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) must remain the central framework for ASEAN’s efforts in addressing the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. — August 14, 2026